The Doodle Grooming Starter Kit

By: Andrea Sleeper

TO SEE JUST THE CATEGORIZED LIST OF TOOLS AND PRODUCTS, CLICK HERE!

One of the main questions I get from both my at home DIY Grooming students and my Professional students alike, is what equipment and what product to buy that is specifically good for Doodle breeds.

Of course, the answer is pretty vast and I made an entire Masterclass about it (click here to learn more!), especially because there is a huge diversity of coat textures within the Doodle breeds. But, in this blog, I have made the perfect Doodle Grooming Starter Kit, conglomerating all the top tools and products I constantly recommend to both my DIY Students and my Professional students, making their lives easier when they're trying to groom their Doodles, be it as their own pets or as their paying customers!

I am NOT affiliated to ANY of the following brands. These are the products and tools that I have tested and used myself for a long time!

TABLES & SURFACES

Do you need a proper grooming table to be able to successfully groom your Doodle at home? No. Will it make it a lot easier and save you the physical strain that such an intensive activity entails? ABSOLUTELY. I always recommend my DIY Students to get a good table that they can put in their bathroom, in their garage, extra room, or wherever you're planning to groom your Doodle. But I understand if it's not an investment you want to make... I am just saying that, as your teacher and someone who cares about your well-being as much as your pet's, that a grooming table investment is 100% worth it. I recommend this LARGE DOG FOLDABLE TABLE. This is the one I personally used when I was still doing house-call grooming, and it survived pretty big dogs for 3 years. I do recommend that if your dog is heavier than 80lbs, maybe you should consider investing in a more expensive and professional table, or to just do it on the floor, for your own and your Doodle's safety.

In the case you don't want to purchase a grooming table but have a pretty good table, island or surface at home that you want to use for grooming, I recommend buying a SURFACE ANTI-SLIP MAT that will prevent your dog from slipping.

BRUSHING & COMBING

If there is ONE THING you have to choose to do concerning your Doodle's grooming, it would be a good brush and comb out session. This is absolutely necessary for your Doodle to be mat and tangle free, and also to promote and stimulate healthy hair growth.

The heavy duty-every day slicker brush I recommend (and that I've been using for 8 years now) is the MIRACLE CARE SLICKER BRUSH. Don't be fooled by its price tag... it's the best there is, especially for those difficult and dense Doodle coats! In all the comparisons me and my student's have made, it has cut down brushing time by about 50%!

After brushing though, you have to always follow it with a good comb out. I highly recommend the GREYHOUND STYLE METAL COMB. I recommend it because of the sturdy material and it is the one that has lost the less amount of teeth with heavy use. It's not the best of the best, but for the price tag, it is the best value for your buck!

If your dog just got shaved or is very short, and it's just growing out, or your pup in general has very thin hair and/or sensitive skin, then I recommend the SOFT SLICKER BRUSH. With this brush, you can brush confidently without the fear of scratching or hurting your dog's sensitive skin, which is something you do have to be careful with the Miracle Care Slicker brush.

NAIL & EAR CARE

Taking care of your Doodle's nails and ears is extremely important! Breeds with a lot of hair in their ears or dogs that have sensitive skin in general, tend to be prone to ear infections. And if you let the nails grow too long, they may start curving into the pad (actually perforating it!), or they may just grow out to the point that the dog's foot starts changing shape as it tries to adapt to walking with the long length of the nails.

There are so many options for nail clippers out there! I will make it easy for you. The ones I use at my salon and the ones I always recommend to all my students (Professional or DIY) are the MILLER'S FORGE NAIL CUTTERS. They are close-ended so they're safer, they keep their sharpness even with daily and rough use, and they fit both small and large dogs.

If you want to pull the hair out of the inside of your Doodle's ear, please first ask your pet's Veterinarian. Make sure he or she approves of the practice... who better to know if your dog will benefit or not from it! If you get a green light to pull the hair out of the inside of the ear, please do not do so without this SPECIAL EAR POWDER. This powder dries the hair all the way down to the follicle, making it less painful to remove. If you don't know how to use it or how to do it, check out our Masterclass!

Once you pulled the hair from inside the ear (if you decided to do it), the next step is to properly clean the inside of the ear. If you want already presoaked ear wipes, I highly recommend the ZYMOX EAR WIPES. They are gentle, but lightly medicated (preventing and countering small ear infections), at the same time that they clean the ear perfectly! For more advanced care and for a little bit more ear medication, I recommend the OXYMED EAR CLEANER. You will need your own cotton balls or rounds to use this product.

BATHING & DRYING

There are thousands of products you can use to bathe your Doodle, be it because they smell nice or because they promise something specific. It can be overwhelming to choose the correct product for your dog's needs, so here's a little help!

In general for all Doodles, no matter the hair texture or skin sensitivity, I highly recommend FILTHY BEAST SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER. It is a natural product with no harsh chemicals, but it does so much work for you! It will start the deshedding and dematting process for you, leaving you with very little work to do afterwards!

If your Doodle's coat is not difficult, and you just want a product that is more breed/coat specific made with good ingredients and that smells great, I recommend the TROPICLEAN PERFECT FUR SHAMPOO FOR CURLY AND WAVY COATS. It is the best of the best out there, and in my experience, unless other brands, they did use ingredients that highly benefit curly coat breeds. I would still recommend for you to use a conditioner after the shampoo, as a way to seal the moisture of the skin after a good scrubbing. I recommend the TROPICLEAN COCOA BUTTER MOISTURIZING CONDITIONER.

Please, do not use any of these shampoos or conditioners on your dog's face! Instead, use a product that is specifically made for cleaning the face and eye area: I highly recommend the SPA BLUEBERRY FACIAL. As a professional, I've been using it for 10 years and have not had a single negative incident with it! I must tell you that if your dog is allergic to natural blueberries or oatmeal, that this is not a good product for ya'll. Otherwise, you're good!

In the case your Doodle has fleas and/or ticks, please DO NOT buy any of those shampoos that you get at any store. They're usually full of harsh chemicals and insecticide, which will destroy your Doodle's skin and coat (some can even get sick if you use it more than once in a particular period of time!) Instead, I recommend getting the TROPICLEAN FLEA+TICK SHAMPOO, which is made with all natural ingredients and no harsh chemicals, so it's safe to use as often as you need!

If you need some help scrubbing, be it because of your Doodle's dense undercoat or because your hands need a little extra help, I recommend using a BATH BRUSH. There are other cheaper options in Amazon, but this one is the one that has actually pulled it weight!

When the time comes for drying your dog after an amazing bath, I really recommend that you buy a dryer that will actually last, that is not disposable and that will help you dry your dog properly. Despite the higher price tag, I really recommend the FLYING PIG VELOCITY DRYER. You will not regret it! You can adjust the speed, it has 3 heat settings, and the filter is super easy to clean. I've been using this on a daily basis for 9 years and I can confidently say they're the best dryers I've ever owned!

For puppies, senior dogs, dogs with seizures, or dog that in general absolutely hate being dried, I recommend the HANDHELD PET DRYER. Now, apparently, it can break very easily if a dog/pet/kid drops it or if it is very roughly used. BUT, I have had mine since January 2021 and it's still going strong. On the other side, a student of mine purchased it and it literally broke within 6 months. She bought another one and that one has lasted longer... so I guess it depends. I personally CANNOT live without it.

CLIPPING & STYLING

Now for the fun part! No matter how easy or difficult your Doodle's coat is, if you buy cheap brands from Amazon, it will only be a matter of time until they give out. They are pretty disposable, and maybe they are cheap enough that you can keep replacing them as they give out... but why? I would recommend investing in a good and professional clipper that will continue to work for you problem-free throughout the years... especially if you are taking your Doodles grooming seriously!

I recommend the ANDIS SUPER 2-SPEED CLIPPER. It is an absolute work-horse and will rarely need maintenance as long as you treat it right and clean it from time to time. Yes, there are better out there, but this one is the cheapest-BEST clipper you could possibly invest on. If you want a better clipper, I recommend you upgrading to the ANDIS 5-SPEED PRO CLIPPER. Cordless clippers are expensive (at least the good ones are) and I honestly do not recommend them to my DIY Grooming Students.

For blades, you usually only need the following:
#10 (which usually comes included with your clipper and it's the perfect blade for sanitary, genitals and small areas)
#15 (to use under the guards and to use for the paw pads)
#7 (the shortest recommended body length, or what is commonly referred as a "summercut")
#4 (a short but lightly fluffy body length that can be achieved directly with a blade, without needing a guard)
You can buy the entire blade set, but usually I find it easier to teach and coach my students with these lengths. Also, try to avoid ceramics. They are usually not as sharp and dull pretty quickly.

For Guards, you usually only need the one you want your Doodle to consistently sport, but if you want to change it up from time to time or want to have all sizes available just in case, I recommend the WAHL GUARD SET. It's very well worth it! Guards can only be placed over a blade size #15 or #30.

When it comes to shears or scissors, I highly recommend the KING STAR SHEAR SET. Yes, they're cheap. Yes, they're basic. But in an ocean of cheap options in Amazon, and after trying so many different brands and styles, these just happen to be diamonds in the rough. The price definitely does not match the amazing quality they carry. After over 10 years of grooming, I am still using my original King Star shear set daily! I recommend them to all of my students, both Professional and DIY, and everybody loves them!

If you are fancy and want to also get a good chunker, we recommend the PURPLE DRAGON CURVED CHUNKERS.

FINISHING TOUCHES

Once you're done grooming your beautiful Doodle (be it after a bath or a full haircut), I highly recommend using a good moisturizing leave-in conditioner. The one I really like is the LEAVE-IN CONDITIONER. You spray this all over your Doodle as soon as your done!

If you want a good perfume that will actually stay and smell delicious for a couple of days, I highly recommend the PLUM PERFUME. Simply because they have very good ingredients and they last a good while!

I hope this article helps set you and your Doodle up for success for your DIY Grooming with professional-looking results! Feel free to visit our website to learn more about our DIY Grooming School!